February 22 – Tacet
Tacet marked on the score
A signal to stop
To not play
To rest
A moment to listen.
The breath in is held
Counted first then numbered
A paused action
An eternity
Captured
Selah
February 22 – Tacet
Tacet marked on the score
A signal to stop
To not play
To rest
A moment to listen.
The breath in is held
Counted first then numbered
A paused action
An eternity
Captured
Selah
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, music, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, selah, slice of life, tacet, writers, writing
February 21 – Fences
I peer between the common
Connection of our backyards
Through the fractured fingers
Of the old paling fence
Splayed out with lichen fingernails
And mossy knuckles
Leaning and bearing the weight
Of the jasmine and wisteria.
I peer into your backyard
Slatted snippets of sight
And wonder if you look into mine
Took a couple of photos for today’s poem. I liked them both so I included them here.
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, fences, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
I watched my daughter sitting at the table colouring in this afternoon. She selected colours at random. The sky was purple; the skin was blue. The lines of demarcation were merely suggestions when it comes to colouring in.
And I didn’t correct it. As a parent it is easy to step in with good intentions and say, “The sky is blue, not purple.”
Or, “A person’s skin colour is pink or brown, not blue.”
She was more interested in colouring in and being creative than “getting it right.”
When you are doing something creative, don’t worry about “getting it right” on the first attempt.
The process of creating should be enjoyable and fun. Be in the moment and revel in the construction.
Creativity is about experimenting and having fun with new ideas. For the month of February I took on the creative challenge to write a poem on a Post It note every day. You can see the results here: Post It Note Poetry.
Make mistakes. Do it in an unconventional way. Learn how others do it and reverse their process.
And every once in a while, colour outside the lines. You are allowed to, you know.
Posted in Creativity, The Writer's Life
Tagged colouring in, creativity, making errors, writers, writing
February 20 – Conversations
Plucking at the topic
Yet mistimed with
Bum notes and fret buzz
The tuning slightly out creating
Dyssynchronous harmonics.
A pause before plucking
At the topic, adjusting the tuning pegs
So it resonates, oscillates
And runs the arpeggios
In synchronous harmony.
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged conversation, creativity, guitar, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
February 19 – Dance Concert
Plumage of tulle
Bunched around bottoms
The perfect formation
Of conglomeration
Packed together
Cygnets learning to fly
In formation
By huddling together
This poem was inspired by the eucalyptus tree in blossom outside the office where I work.
I have two young daughters who love to dance and the bunch of blossoms reminded me of children’s dance concerts where they haven’t quite learned spacial awareness and clump together on stage.
If you are a native Antipodean, it will also remind you of May Gibbs’ creation, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, dance, eucalyptus blossom, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
February 18 – Today’s Lesson
A quick kiss
Of spousal affection
Snaffled in the kitchen.
Two young daughters
Laugh hysterically
And learn a lesson
Untaught by books
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, family, kisses, lessons, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, relationships, slice of life, writers, writing
February 16 – Give Me Shelter
The roof above and the carpet below
Tell a similar story:
Cracked, lined, riddled with moisture
Stained, spotted and worn away
Peeling back to the roots of
Skeletal rafters and joists
This threadbare flesh of two hands
Cradling and sheltering while I sleep
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
February 15 – Grammatical Time
Living in the constant present tense
In absence of the past “was”
No anticipation of the future “will be”
Only the moment of “is.”
A vision is a memory
A dream is a legacy
The sundial’s shadow stalled
Held by a breath
Waiting for the second hand
In the constant present tense
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, grammar, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
February 14 – The Runner
Plodding the painted parallel lines
Rhythm of footfall while
Running against the clock.
In circles she cycles
The seasons through each turn.
Crossing the line she starts again
The distance to the end undetermined
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, life cycles, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, running, slice of life, writers, writing